In their second course of NBA Summer League action, the Cavaliers no doubt set out to shoot the ball a little better, show a similar level of defensive intensity to their first dip and… well, basically get their prized second-year two-guard on track after his woeful 1-11 shooting display against the Lakers.

Check, check and … it depends how you want to look at it. Waiters finished with 23 points on 7-17 shooting, including 1-4 from three and 8-12 from the foul line. He also added four rebounds and four assists in 30 minutes.

Oh, did I mention he was 3-12 entering the fourth quarter? Well, it was that kind of game.

1st quarter: Dion’s first shot is from the foul line and, just like Friday, it’s short which, of course, does not bode well. He swishes his next one, though, and thus begins another exciting adventure along the Dion Waiters box score.

As noted in the last recap, Tyler Zeller does look like he’s bulked up a little bit. Unfortunately, it’s very possible that his shoulders are more Chris Bosh than Dwight Howard and that we’re not looking at a future brawny 7-footer. Zeller was very impressive, though, especially with how he communicates with his (slightly) younger teammates on the floor. When Waiters started barking at the refs early, Zeller let him talk and then called out to Waiters seemingly just to give his teammate an excuse to walk away. Later, he talked to Carrick Felix while waiting for a Memphis free throw attempt, telling the rookie where he should go when the ball went up. Felix not only got the rebound, but took it the other way and converted an and-one (including the free throw).

Zeller finished the game with 11 points and nine rebounds.

Waiters got to the line early and often in this one, but he just wasn’t hitting with the regularity he needs to. Some have said that Waiters looks bored playing in Summer League. I wouldn’t say that. He’s playing hard, but often it seems like he’s just tinkering, working on his game without the consequential weight of the regular season. And tinkering ain’t always pretty. Later, Waiters would say that he was just working to get his legs back which, considering how short his free throws were and how it seems like everyone in Vegas has been in a shooting funk, could very well be the case.

But the Cavs’ defense (combined with the Grizzlies light-on-offense roster) held Memphis to 25% shooting for the period and took a 21-17 lead.

2nd quarter: For this game, anyway, the Cavs gave the second unit reins to Cory Higgins with Matthew Dellavedova playing off the ball. The subs pushed the lead up to 28-20 before Waiters, Zeller and Chris Quinn re-entered the game. Immediately following the substitution, Waiters hits a long jumper, Zeller grabs a strong rebounds and Quinn… well, it’s sometimes hard to see why Quinn’s getting run with the first team, except that he has actually been on a NBA team before. The Cavs seem to be searching for their third point guard (which would almost be like their fourth point guard as Kyrie Irving, Waiters and Jarrett Jack will all handle the ball over the course of the game) but Higgins actually showed more spark and playmaking ability than Quinn though, again, all of this is difficult to judge because everyone’s shooting so poorly from the perimeter.

The Cavs end the half up 36-32 and dip the Grizzlies’ field goal percentage all the way down to 23.7% Is this Mike Brown’s defensive system being preached even at this level or is it … sigh … again, just people not hitting shots.

3rd quarter: Play started to get testy. I’ve said how the Cavs looks pretty good defensively and Memphis hustles hard on defense even in Summer League. On one play, Felix practically decapitates Memphis forward Matt Howard going after a loose ball.

Felix didn’t score as well as he did in his first game. He managed 7 points on 2-7 shooting, but added 11 rebounds and a steal. The rookie second rounder does not look great when he puts the ball on the floor and tries to create. But when he plays within the system (which is to say: defends, rebounds, runs the floor) he shows where he could be a legitimate factor on the NBA level. He also plays so obviously hard that it’s tough not to like him, especially since he’s finding ways to contribute be it scoring or otherwise.

The Cavs’ offense has been fun to watch even if the results haven’t always been pretty. The ball isn’t sticking, even when Dion pokes and prods at the defense. The ball is moving from side to side and the team looks to be making a concerted effort to push the ball early and often. Good news for those of us worried about Brown’s less than fast-paced offense of yesteryear.

4th quarter: Now (some of) the shots start falling. Dellavedova finally connects on a three and Jermaine Taylor follows it up with a good second-effort layup to put the Cavs up 58-50. That’s when Dion happens.

Waiters comes out much more aggressive wanting to put this game out of reach. In under a minute, Waiters hits a three then converts an and-one plus the foul shot to push the Cavs’ lead to 63-53. Waiters started connecting from outside and was able to finish off his drives to the basket efficiently, frequently getting fouled in the process and hitting the ensuing freebie.

Much like Friday, the Cavs shot an uninspiring 38.3% from the field but held their opponent to a miserable 23.7% (including only 8.3% from three). The Cavs also out-rebounded the Grizzlies 42-40, showing the ability to bang a little down low.

Overall, this team, Summer League or not, is pretty feisty — not easy to watch, but easy to like. They play hard, they hustle, they play defense and, as much as two games can be a barometer for anything, they let that keep them in games until the guys who get the buckets start to do so.

It was better to watch than the 1st game. Defense has improved. I had to laugh at the announcers comment in the 4th quarter when they said, “Cavs are having a Block Party now” I think there was 3 blocks in a row and Kadji had at least 2 of them. I don’t think Felix had as many touches this game. Waiters had something to prove and shot the ball more. Curious on what is going on with Kevin Jones. Is he out?

I would venture some of Dion’s woes come via Brown and, as you say, tinkering. Apparently Brown worked the team very, very hard in the initial three Vegas practices on conditioning and defense only (per his NBA TV interview). Further, Dion mentioned via twitter after game one that he was concentrating more on getting his teammates involved per Brown’s instruction. Personally, I’m not worried at all about him offensively, he’s very capable, as we all saw in the second half last year, of creating his own shot. Also, it’s great to see him tinkering with things and getting a little tougher defensively after how abysmal our perimeter defense was last year.

Additionally, Felix is so fun to watch defensively. He is going to make a great “spark plug” off the bench someday soon.

Agree wholeheartedly with this:”He’s playing hard, but often it seems like he’s just tinkering, working on his game without the consequential weight of the regular season. And tinkering ain’t always pretty.”

I think a lot of the deep J’s Dion is taking are not shots he would take in a real game; he is instead working on his jumper in game situations. He can get to the lane whenever he wants, but its rare for him to have a chance to work on his J against NBA competition. I hope he keeps tinkering. That is the best use of these games for a guy like him who has a established NBA-ready strength (getting in the lane).

I got to watch the second half last night, and the only player that really stood out to me was Kadji. Not just the blocks, but general activity, especially with defensive help on PNRs on the perimeter. Don’t think he has the size to be a true center in the NBA, but I like his style. Strong effort and decent court awareness. Didn’t try to do anything offensively that is outside of his talents. He’ll be a good role player for somebody someday.

Felix looked active and agressive as well, but looks to be a pretty substandard ball handler. Don’t try to create, dude. Just play D, rebound, and shots should be limited to catch-n-shoot 3s or transition finishes. If he learns that, he can take over Gee’s role by year end, then we can trade Gee and save a few million. I like Gee, but decent undersized 3D guys aren’t too hard to find.

Kadji did have some nice blocks. Hope to see him as a training camp invite if he can get his jumper rolling. Definitely has more upside than Kevin Jones. Andre Guodelock might be a nice final guard. The guy can score in bunches and has familiarity with Mike Brown’s system. Not spending the 31st pick on a point guard prospect was probably a mistake. Would have loved some Nate Wolters or Erick Green there. Delladova/Quinn/Higgins aint exactly inspiring.

Would have to agree with most of what I’ve read so far. Let me add to the conversation that I’m a bit disappointed by Chris Quinn. You’d think he knows this is last chance to make a NBA team and most likely a tryout for a European team., but man, he’s taken a step back. The O didn’t click when he was in the game and his D was off. PG Dellefellabellawelladore (I’ll learn how to spell his name if he makes the team) seems to want that 3rd pg spot as the 15th player. For the opposite reasons as Quinn, he’s been a pleasant surprise.

BTW, I may be off grover13, but I thought Felix was more of a guard than a forward, but I guess there will be situations where we could put him in as a D guy when the other team is running small ball. He is fun to watch.

Zeller, and Felix had adequate games, the missed switches on their three point shooting center was annoying but its Pre-Pre-Season.

If they cut Quinn now I wouldnt complain or blame them in the slightest, the younger players are playing better and deserve more court time

For some random reason ive watched both Atlanta games, and I know he wasnt available at the time but damn I really like Dennis Schroeder, all the Rondo comparisons are valid, imo, and he has a much cleaner better shot then Rondo, he would have been a fun 3rd guard behind Kyrie and Dion, Very quick and crafty, oh well Karasev is ripping it up for the Russian National team from what ive heard

Zeller looks no bigger to me. In fact, Zeller looks and plays exactly the same as he did last season. Now, TT didn’t look that improved in summer league last year but had a fine soph campaign. So I am not making any final judgements, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves about Tyler too.

Btw, I think Cooley might be the second coming of Brad Miller. Tough, good rebounder, real 3-point range. I would watch this kid…

@KJ He gained 25 pounds. I think it went mostly in his calves. Lol Idk. He is has gained weight. He was so dam skinny that last regular season game. He actually lost weight by season’s end. You can tell if you see pictures side by side. He looked like a therometer when he was hot.

After finally being about to watch a full Summer League game (the TV usually consists of Dora the Explorer and Sesame Street) I don’t understand how people can say Zeller hasn’t gotten any bigger. It’s pretty obvious to me he has gotten bigger.

Kadji I like. Good player to have in Canton. Felix I like more than I thought I did during the draft. Crabbe has struggled and that is good for the rep that trade had. Dion I’m not worried about, Zeller looks better, Quinn needs cut, Delladova is a nice 3rd PG.

I thought Jermaine Taylor looked pretty good…he was very effective on defense against the Pelicans. Maybe he’s just working his ass off to get back into the association, but Grant should at least consider trying to get him on the roster in Canton or something.

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Nate Smith is an Associate Editor. He grew up in Anchorage, Alaska, and moved to NE Ohio in 2000. He adopted the Cavs in 2003 and graduated from Kent State in 2009 with a BA in English. He can be contacted at oldseaminer@gmail.com or @oldseaminer on Twitter.

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